College of Education Awarded TeachOregon Grant
What is TeachOregon?
TeachOregon is a Chalkboard Project initiative funded by Oregon’s leading philanthropic foundations that gives school districts and universities the opportunity to design innovative models to prepare the next generation of effective Oregon teachers and ultimately increase student achievement.
Why do we need new models of teacher preparation?
By 2020, Oregon schools will need to hire 16,400 teachers, a full third of the teacher work force. Only 8 percent of Oregon’s teachers are of minority populations, while 34 percent of students are of minority populations. TeachOregon school districts, community colleges and universities address these challenges through close collaboration and strategies that create an effective and diverse group of teachers with a special emphasis on targeting underrepresented populations.
Why was Pacific University selected?
Pacific's work in Woodburn has grown to encompass the following components, supported by the TeachOregon grant:
- Woodburn Grow-Your-Own teacher program that works with students as young as middle school to enter a supported pathway to K-12 teaching
- Commitment to fund scholarships to attract and support highly qualified teaching candidates into the Bachelor of Education program
- Implementation and research on innovative clinical preparation models in partnership with Woodburn School district
For more information about Pacific's TeachOregon grant, contact Kevin Carr, kcarr@pacificu.edu